171: Chapter 171 This sounds very plausible; could it actually be true?

This was precisely the source of Northern Yuan's confidence in entrusting him with the position of great king of the southern court.

Among the Northern Yuan crowd behind Qiao Feng, a young girl disguised as a man, unable to hide her exotic charm, was quietly whispering to two hideously ugly old men beside her:

"Master Lu, how many enemies do you think King Qiao can kill in this battle?"

"..."

Lu Zhangke was momentarily speechless.

What kind of time was this to be asking about how many people would be killed?

Looking around, judging solely by their Auras, there were nearly ten experts at the Great Grandmaster level on the Great Song's side alone.

No matter how strong Qiao Feng was, what could he do?

They had no intention of showing themselves at all.

Their mission was only to protect the County Princess; they would not get involved in any other disputes.

Seeing Lu Zhangke's cold expression, Zhao Min felt slightly disappointed. She turned to gaze at the field, her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation.

She had long heard of Qiao Feng's strength, and seeing it for herself today naturally made her heart race.

After all, the current Qiao Feng was the esteemed great king of the southern court, a status no lower than his father's back then.

The thought of trying to win him over could only be abandoned.

But she heard that he was investigating the old case of his parents' murder, which was why he led the crowd to the Shaolin Temple to find someone.

Behind the crowd, several other groups of people were gathered separately.

"Behave yourself! The current situation is complex; the slightest carelessness could lead to the destruction of our entire clan!"

Duan Zhengchun grabbed Duan Yu.

Initially, when he learned that his son had become sworn brothers with the Chief of the Beggars Gang, he was quite pleased—

Since Qiao Feng was a renowned hero of the Central Plains and the leader of the Beggars Gang, having such a close relationship was naturally a good thing.

But who would have thought that before long, Qiao Feng would be surrounded by people from Northern Yuan and even accept an official post from the enemy country.

At this moment, Duan Yu still wanted to go forward and acknowledge him, which would inevitably bring a catastrophic storm upon the Dali Duan Clan.

Dali already depended on the Great Song for survival; if they provoked more trouble, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Not far away, an elegant middle-aged couple stood side by side, with a clever and lively little girl following them.

"Brother Jing, this is an internal dispute within the Beggars Gang; let's not intervene lightly."

Seeing Guo Jing rubbing his palms together, Huang Rong quickly spoke up to dissuade him.

"So that's how it is..."

Guo Jing looked slightly disappointed.

Qiao Feng's reputation was far-reaching, and that set of Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms was said to be unprecedented.

Unfortunately, the two had never truly sparred.

In recent years, he had been guarding Xiangyang and rarely left.

The sudden retreat of the Northern Yuan army this time was precisely because a top-tier expert appeared in the north and cut off the Tamu Ancient Road, making the enemy afraid to advance further.

Xiangyang finally had a rare moment of peace, and he had only come here specifically after receiving a plea for help from the Southern Beggars Gang.

But he had always trusted Huang Rong's judgment. Though he was eager to try, hearing her say this, he could only suppress his urge.

"You mentioned that expert from the north... what do you know?"

Guo Jing suddenly remembered something and asked in a low voice.

"I know! I know! When Grandfather took me there, I saw it with my own eyes!"

The little girl in the middle, Guo Xiang, immediately raised her hand and shouted, "Everything Mother knows, I told her!"

"Xiang'er, a girl must know her place!"

Seeing her daughter making a fuss, Huang Rong couldn't help but scold her.

"Oh..."

Guo Xiang stuck out her tongue and shrunk her head back.

At that moment, the battle ahead had already begun.

The current Chief, You Tanzhi, was facing off against the former Chief, Qiao Feng.

However, the martial arts styles of the two were surprising.

You Tanzhi was full of sinister poison, his entire body radiating a terrifying evil art;

In contrast, Qiao Feng's palm strikes were powerful and his Aura was magnificent, brimming with righteousness.

Just by looking at the Moves, the onlookers actually had an illusion—as if the demon who should be attacked by everyone was actually this current Chief.

Such a contrast made the atmosphere of the entire scene subtle.

"As the leader of the Beggars Gang, you do not cultivate our ancestral martial arts, but instead indulge in Poison Arts, falling to such a state!"

Qiao Feng spoke with a stern voice.

"You are no longer a member of the Beggars Gang; you have no right to lecture me!"

You Tanzhi glared back.

Although he had forcibly entered the Great Grandmaster realm by relying on Poison Arts and the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic, his Foundation was hollow, far inferior to Qiao Feng's, let alone the subtlety of his Moves.

In just over ten Moves, he was sent flying by a single palm strike.

However, Qiao Feng did not finish him off.

"Everyone, I have come here only to investigate the truth of my parents' murder.

I, Qiao, have sworn that in my lifetime, I will never be an enemy of the Great Song!"

"Giggle, giggle, you're an outsider, who would take your words seriously?"

A sinister laughter echoed in the air, but no one could be seen as people looked around.

Qiao Feng's face turned cold, and he suddenly raised his palm, striking into the air.

A Dragon's roar broke through the air as a majestic dragon-shaped Qi force surged forward.

"The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms truly live up to their reputation!"

A voice came from the shadows.

Immediately after, a sharp Sword Qi shot forth, colliding with the dragon-shaped True Qi, only stirring up a wave of air and failing to block it completely.

Several sword lights flashed in succession before the palm force was barely neutralized.

Then, four figures emerged from the Void Realm.

"Is it those four devils?" someone cried out in shock.

Yun Zhonghe's small eyes scanned the crowd. Whenever he saw a young woman, he would laugh strangely.

But as soon as his gaze fell on Huang Rong and Guo Xiang, his throat moved sharply, and a greedy light suddenly burst from his eyes.

"This mother and daughter are truly peerless beauties!"

Huang Rong's face turned cold instantly.

"Old Fourth, if you want to seek death, don't drag us down with you! Those are the people of Guo Jing's family from Xiangyang!"

Ye Erniang spoke coldly, her tone full of warning.

Yun Zhonghe was startled and quickly withdrew his gaze.

He couldn't afford to provoke them.

Guo Jing was a titan of the Martial Forest, not to mention his father-in-law, the Eastern Heretic Pharmacist Huang; who in the Jianghu wouldn't fear them?

"That look is truly nauseating," Guo Xiang whispered with a frown.

"You must stay away from such people; he's a frantic lecher!" Huang Rong said coldly, her eyes flashing as she was already calculating how to set a trap to make him fall here.

Before her thought could settle, Qiao Feng's figure flashed, and his palm wind swept toward Yun Zhonghe.

Although You Tanzhi practiced evil arts, he still held the title of the Beggars Gang Chief, so it was inconvenient for Qiao Feng to act against him.

But these four great evildoers were different!

This palm strike caught everyone by surprise.

Yun Zhonghe's light-body technique was superb, and he immediately leaped to avoid it.

"Proud Dragon Repents!"

Qiao Feng roared, using the most forceful Move of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.

While in mid-air, Yun Zhonghe's waist was suddenly hit by a heavy blow, and his whole body curled up as if broken.

The palm hit his abdomen squarely, and the sound of bones cracking was clearly audible, making one's skin crawl.

In an instant, that tall, thin figure was blown into a bloody mist by the palm force, scattering in all directions.

The onlookers involuntarily took a step back.

This was too ruthless!

Zhao Min's pupils constricted slightly as she watched.

From this one palm strike alone, she could see how terrifying Qiao Feng was when he was moved to kill.

"His Internal Energy is not below Guo Jing's!" Guo Jing narrowed his eyes and commented in a low voice.

"Amitabha, Benefactor Qiao, is it not too excessive to kill someone in front of our Shaolin gate?"

The Shaolin Temple gates opened wide, and several warrior monks leaped out.

Several old monks dressed in crimson kasayas walked out slowly.

"Even if this person is a villain like Yun Zhonghe, who has ruined countless innocent women, Shaolin still wants to protect him?" Qiao Feng turned, his gaze as sharp as a knife, pointing directly at the Abbot, a flash of ferocity in his eyes.

"Even if one is a person of heinous crimes, as long as they are bathed in the Buddha's teachings, there is still a chance to turn back." An old monk had a solemn face and spoke in a dignified tone.

"Pfft—"

A light laugh suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

The folding fan in Zhao Min's hand snapped open.

"There is little credibility in the Buddhist sect saying such things.

As far as I know, many temples are clean on the surface but hide filth behind the scenes, even making Moves on women who come to worship!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the monks changed abruptly.

"Stop talking nonsense! Those scoundrels are all evil-doers pretending to be Buddhist Disciples!"

"Heh, one is a Buddhist Disciple when doing good, but an impostor when doing evil? How convenient," Zhao Min sneered.

Several high monks immediately turned red in the face, burning with anger.

But they could not refute it—there were indeed such cases, and more than one.

The reputation of the Buddhist sect had long been tarnished.

"What this young lady says is not false.

Not only in temples elsewhere, but even in Shaolin itself, there are high-ranking Elders who behave improperly outside, defiling young women and causing them to conceive and give birth, only to abandon them afterward.

With such conduct, how can they be called 'Great Masters'?" a voice joined in.

As soon as these words landed, the entire field was in an uproar.

This is stated with evidence, could it actually be true?

The fire of curiosity was ignited in everyone's eyes.

Qiao Feng wanted revenge for his reputation.

But now, who wouldn't be happy to see the always high-and-mighty Shaolin embarrassed?

"Pure absurdity!" an old monk was beyond furious.

"Absurd? Then why don't you ask your Abbot!" the voice rang out again.

The monks were stunned and all looked toward Xuan Ci in the center.

"Senior Brother, could it be that you are actually shielding such a scoundrel?" an impatient old monk questioned.

Xuan Ci put his hands together, his face solemn, and remained silent.

"Let's set these matters aside for now. Abbot Xuan Ci should know about the ambush on my parents at Yanmen Pass back then!"

Qiao Feng's tone was deep, and his words hidden with long-suppressed anger.

Another shocking secret was uncovered.

The Jianghu has always been a place where grievances are intertwined and love and hatred are hard to break, and with the addition of gossip that others relish, today's scene was complete.

"Amitabha, since Benefactor Qiao already knows, this old monk will not hide it.

Back then, I was indeed deceived into thinking your parents intended to attack Shaolin, which led to such a great mistake!"

"You want to push everything away with just the phrase 'deceived'?" Qiao Feng's gaze was like a knife as he took a step forward, the True Qi in his body surging like rising flames.

That Aura intimidated the surroundings, and all the heroes around changed color.

With such power, he had probably reached the Grandmaster realm at the peak of martial arts.

"This old monk does not dare to deceive you. There was indeed a person who sent me the information. Because I had always trusted him, I mistakenly believed him and acted rashly." Xuan Ci's face was heavy, and he already understood in his heart—today's matter would likely not end well.

With this old case being brought up, plus the sin of breaking the precepts just now, Shaolin's reputation was in danger!

"Who was that person?" A dark figure suddenly flashed into view, his voice urgent.

It was the person who had revealed the truth earlier.

"Murong Bo of the Gusu Murong Family!" Xuan Ci slowly spat out the name.

"Nonsense! He has been dead for many years. You are now pushing the blame onto a dead person; who would believe you?"

Murong Bo was also a famous expert in the past, and his death was not a secret.

Now that the dead cannot testify, aren't you just saying whatever you want?

Many people's eyes flickered, clearly harboring doubts.

And this was exactly the situation Shaolin feared most.

"Whether it is true or false, I, Qiao, will investigate to the end.

For now, let's settle the grievances between us!" Qiao Feng spoke coldly, his palm wind moving slightly, his killing intent solemn.

At this moment, the sky suddenly roared, dark clouds pressed down, and the sunlight vanished completely.